Bill Putnam (basketball)

William Charles Putnam[1] (August 12, 1922 – December 12, 1992) was an American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins. He earned second-team All-American honors in 1945, when he helped lead the Bruins to their first basketball championship, winning the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) Southern Division title. Putnam was later an assistant coach and assistant athletic director at UCLA. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.

Bill Putnam
Putnam with UCLA c. 1945
Personal information
Born(1922-08-12)August 12, 1922
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 1992(1992-12-12) (aged 70)
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcClatchy (Sacramento, California)
CollegeUCLA (1943–1945)
PositionGuard
Number20
Coaching career1946–1962
Career history
As coach:
1946–1962UCLA (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

Early life

Putnam was born on August 12, 1922,[2] in San Francisco.[3] His father, George, was part owner of the San Francisco Seals baseball team.[4][5] Putnam's family moved to Sacramento, California, in the early 1930s.[3] Growing up there, he began playing basketball in the 10th grade at McClatchy High School.[6] He was the school's first four-sport athlete, competing also in football, baseball and track and field.[3]

College playing career

Putnam played basketball at Sacramento City College (SCC) from 1940 to 1942, leading the Panthers to two second-place finishes in a then-15-team conference.[7] The 6-foot (1.8 m), 210-pound (95 kg) guard transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, to play for the Bruins under coach Wilbur Johns.[8][3] Putnam and fellow junior college transfer Don Barksdale joined UCLA midseason in 1942–43,[8] following the Bruins' loss of Johnny Fryer, an Army reserve who was called to serve in World War II.[9] While Barksdale played, Johns chose to keep Putnam inactive and preserve a year of his eligibility.[6]

Putnam started at guard for UCLA in 1943–44.[10] As co-captain of the Bruins with Bill Rankin in 1944–45,[10] he helped lead the team to its first basketball championship,[11] winning the PCC Southern Division title with a 34–28 victory over their crosstown rivals, USC.[12][13] The Bruins were not able to face the Northern Division champion in a playoff due to scheduling conflicts arising from UCLA's roster being all Navy trainees.[14] Putnam was named a second-team All-American by the Helms Athletic Foundation,[15] becoming the UCLA basketball program's second All-American,[lower-alpha 1][17] and he was a unanimous selection to the All-PCC Southern Division team.[18]

Putnam also earned a letter in football in 1944.[3] He was posthumously named to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993,[17] and the SCC Men's Basketball Court of Honor in 2001.[7][19]

Later years
Putnam (left) as an assistant coach at UCLA under John Wooden (center) c. 1958.

In 1945, Putnam played on the 20th Century-Fox team that advanced to the consolation round of the Amateur Athletic Union's national basketball tournament, finishing in fourth place.[10][20]

After graduating from college in 1945,[21] Putnam was an assistant coach under Johns for one season in 1946–47, and later under John Wooden from 1948 to 1963.[10][21] Wooden called him "one of the most loyal, hard-working coaches who ever worked with me".[22] Additionally in 1948, Putnam became an assistant director of athletics under Johns;[21] Putnam was responsible for UCLA athletic teams' travel arrangements.[23] He was also the Bruins' junior varsity head coach for two seasons.[17] He left UCLA in 1963,[21] and started a career in real estate in Southern California.[3][24]

Putnam died of a heart attack on December 12, 1992,[10] while returning home from a UCLA basketball game at Pauley Pavilion against San Diego. He was 70.[3][10]

See also

Notes
  1. Dick Linthicum was the first, selected in 1931 and 1932, as well as UCLA's first All-American in any sport.[16]

References
  1. Guthrie, Clare (June 24, 1946). "W. C. (Bill) Putnam Will Marry Los Angeles Girl On Thursday". The Sacramento Bee. p. 11. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Daughter Born on UCLA Coach's Birthday". Los Angeles Times. August 14, 1948. Part III, p.4. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Obituaries". The Sacramento Bee. December 15, 1992. p. B5. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Dyer, Braven (February 15, 1945). "The Sports Parade". Los Angeles Times. Part I, p. 8. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Death Claims Alfred Putnam, Baseball Mogul". The Sacramento Bee. September 8, 1937. pp. 1, 5. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Wolf, Al (February 16, 1945). "Sportstraits". Los Angeles Times. Part I, p. 6. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Amick, Sam (February 6, 2001). "SCC to honor 8 former players". The Sacramento Bee. p. C5. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Jaysee Transfers Bolster Bruin Five". Los Angeles Times. February 14, 1943. Part II, p. 10. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Wolf, Al (January 26, 1943). "Bruin, Trojan Quintets Hit". Los Angeles Times. Part I, p. 17. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "UCLA great dies at age 70". The Manhattan Mercury. December 14, 1992. p. B3. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Adams, Wilbur (February 19, 1945). "Between The Sport Lines". The Sacramento Bee. p. 12. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Hersch, Hank (April 15, 1995). "IN THE BEGINNING FOR THE FIRST 44 SEASONS, THE STORY OF BASKETBALL AT UCLA WAS ONE OF CHANGE, NOT CHAMPIONSHIPS". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  13. Wolf, Al (February 18, 1945). "Bruins Nab Cage Title by Lacing Troy, 34–28". Los Angeles Times. Part II, p. 6. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Bruins Skip Play-offs of Coast Cagers". Los Angeles Times. March 5, 1945. Part II, p. 8. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Four Cage Aces Again On All-America Five". Los Angeles Times. April 6, 1945. Part II, p.8. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Bonk, Thomas (February 22, 1987). "Barksdale, One of a Kind, Is One of Eight Being Inducted Into UCLA Hall of Fame". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  17. "Bill Putnam". UCLA Athletics. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  18. "Three Bruins on All-League Cage Squad". Los Angeles Times. February 22, 1945. p. 8. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "History". Sacramento City College Panthers. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  20. Crawford, Frank (March 25, 1945). "Cessna Bobcats Cop Third Place In Denver Meet". The Wichita Eagle. p. 12. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Putnam Quits UCLA Post". Los Angeles Times. June 6, 1963. Part III, p. 2. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. Wooden, John; Tobin, Jack (1988). They Cal Me Coach. Contemporary Books. p. 117. ISBN 0809245914. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  23. Adams, Wilbur (January 28, 1959). "Between The Sports Lines". The Sacramento Bee. p. F-1. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. Adams, Wilbur (September 9, 1965). "Between The Sports Lines". The Sacramento Bee. p. E1. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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